Containers for cigarettes



Jam 1959 c. c. CERNERA CONTAINERS FOR CIGARETTES Filed June 21, 1954 INVENTOR GZLarZeJ C'er'nem A ORNEY United States Patent CONTAINERS FOR CIGARETTES Charles C. Cernera, New York, N. Y.

Application June 21, 1954, Serial No. 438,259

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-20) This invention relates to boxes or containers particularly adapted for holding cigarettes, cigars, crayons, pencils and numerous other articles.

It is an object of the invention to provide a box or container of this character which shall be of a shape and curvature to enable it to be conveniently carried in the pocket while conforming to the curvature of the body. It is another object of the invention to provide a container shaped as above described, which can if desired, be wholly composed of cardboard; which will permit of easy removal of the cigarettes or other contents; which will be provided with a novel and easily-operated closure means for the cigarette-holding tray, and which can be economically manufactured.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed, and in which Fig. 1 18 a front elevational view of the improved container in partly open position;

Fig. 2 1s a side elevation of the container, with a part of the tray broken away, and other parts thereof being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional elevation through the tray;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and with the cigarettes being omitted from the container;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an upper corner portion of the tray, and

Fig. 6 is a face view of the blank from which the tray is formed.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the outer sleeve of the container. The same is preferably, but not necessarily composed of cardboard, or it might be made of plastic, metal, wood or other suitable material. The sleeve is of generally rectangular shapeand is transversely curved or arched, as shown at 3 in Fig. 4. It has spaced front and rear walls, indicated respectively at 23 and 11 and end walls 25 and 26. This curvature of the sleeve and the tray 2 which it encloses is such that the package presents a conveniently curved shape easily fitting in the pocket and conforming to the body when so contained.

The sleeve 1 is open at both ends and slidably accommodates the cigarette-holding tray generally indicated at 2. The construction of the tray will be clear from Fig. 6, wherein the one-piece cardboard blank from which it is formed is disclosed. It will be there noted that the tray is formed with a transversely-curved bottom 5 and integral side walls 6 and 7, the blank being folded on the permanent or stationary end wall of the tray, the same being curved as shown in Fig. 6 to conform to the interior shape of the sleeve 1, and this end wall is folded on the score line 13 to extend it at right angles to the bottom 5 and cause it to extend between the end walls 6 and. 7 and thus form a permanent end wall closure for one end of the tray.

The stationary end wall 12 is maintained in its fixed position of closure for one end of the tray by being glued in its closed position or otherwise secured in place by a covering layer of paper adhesively secured over the tray and not herein shown to'simplify illustration.

At the opposite end of the tray 2 is shown the movable end wall or closure flap 16. The same is roughly crescentshaped and is formed somewhat similarly to the stationary end wall 12, but it is hinged and can thus be closed or opened as required to enable the cigarettes 14 to be removed endwisely from the tray, when the container is in an open or partly open position such as is shown in Fig. 1. The score line indicated at 15, indicates the line of fold or hinge point for the closure flap 15, and the closed position of the flap 16 is disclosed in Fig. 2 wherein it will be noted that the flap has been folded down on the score line 15 so that it closes the upper end of the tray and prevents the cigarettes 14 from shifting out of the tray. In order to securely maintain the closure flap 16 in its closed position, as shown in Fig. 2, locking elements for the reception of the opposite ends 17 and 18 of the flap 16 are provided. Said locking elements consist in the inclined score lines 19 and 20 formed in the side walls 6 and 7 of the tray, and which result in the production of grooves on the inner faces of the walls 6 and 7 and into which the ends 17 and 18 of the closure fiap 16 fit with a snap action.

The resiliency of the side walls 6 and 7 of the tray is such that when the closure flap is moved to closed position, they will grippingly hold the closure flap in such position at the end of the tray as shown in Fig. 2. This gripping action is amplified by reason of the fact that the fold or score lines 8 and 9 diverge slightly from the lower end of the tray, so that the walls 6 and 7 resultantly diverge from the end walls 12 to the closure flap. The result of this arrangement is that a wedging action is secured when the tray is enclosed by the sleeve and thus the two side walls 6 and 7 are brought toward one another I by the pressure of the sleeve 1 and to an extent to cause them to firmly grip the closure flap 16 between them and hold it securely in its closed position.

from the foregoing, the advantages and uses of the container will be readily apparent. The curvature of the container as a whole is such that it conveniently fits the pocket and while therein will conform "to the body. The tray will have its closure flap held securely in closed position while the tray is fully enclosed by the sleeve. When the tray is projected slightly out of the sleeve, the forward edge 21 of the closure flap becomes exposed beyond the top of the sleeve and can be easily engaged by the finger to raise the flap to the open position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, whereupon one or more of the cigarettes can be extracted endwisely from the tray. The closure flap is then pressed down with the finger until its ends 17 and 18 engage with the grooves 19 and 20 and the tray is then slid back into the sleeve which will, as above pointed out, force the walls 6 and 7 toward oneanother to an extent to cause them to firmly grip the closure flap between them and retain it in closed position as long as the tray remains fully enclosed by the sleeve.

The container can be made wholly of cardboard and is thus economical to manufacture. While it has been described as used for containing cigarettes, it will be understood that such use is merely suggestive since it can be used for holding numerous other products with complete satisfaction.

Having described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is: I

1. A container for cigarettes and similar articles comprising, an outer cardboard sleeve of rectangular formation having front and rear Walls which are transversely arched, an arched tray slidably mounted Within the sleeve and movable by sliding movement to expose an end portion out of one end of the sleeve, the tray having a curved bottom wall conforming in curvature to the curved rear wall of the sleeve, the tray having side Walls and end walls, one of the end walls being permanently closed, the other end wall being hinged for a portion only of its length to the curved rear wall of the tray at a central point thereof, said end wall having a forward edge conforming in curvature to the arched front wall of the sleeve, said end Wall having opposite end portions free of attachment to the rear wall of the tray, said hinged end wall constituting a foldable flap movable to open position to permit of endwise removal of cigarettes from the tray, the side walls of the tray being each formed with a groove in its inner surface adjacent to the free end portions of the hinged end wall whereby said free end portions can be entered into said grooves to hold the hinged end wall in closed position, the side Walls of the tray slightly diverging away from one another from the closed end of the tray to the hinged wall thereof to cause the sleeve, when fitted over the tray, to urge the side walls of the tray toward one another near the hinged end wall to thereby urge the grooves in the side walls into engagement with the ends of the hinged end wall and thereby hold said end wall in closed position.

2, In a container as provided for in claim 1, wherein the grooves in the side walls of the tray are inclined downwardly from the rear wall of the tray toward the open front thereof whereby the hinged end Wall, when its ends enter said grooves, will be slightly angularly positioned.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 602,664 Munson Apr. 19, 1898 893,551 Schmidt July 14, 1908 1,253,489 Houghland Jan. 15, 1918 1,463,948 Geimer Aug. 7, 1923 2,382,368 Mitchell Aug. 14, 1945 2,634,854 Brandt et al Apr. 14, 1953 2,776,081 I Ringler Jan. 1, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,905 Great Britain May 8, 1913 Great Britain July 31, 1930 

